Mumbai: It’s too early for Diwali, but elections are around the corner, so the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), controlled by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena, have opened the online lottery process for 217 houses in Mumbai on Thursday.
After almost a decade, the e-registration process to participate in the e-auctioning for 276 shops was also thrown open. According to a MHADA official, homebuyers have until April 13, to apply for these houses in Mumbai, while the last day to register for the e-auctioning process is March 30.
The lottery draw will be on April 21, at the MHADA headquarters, Bandra at 10am. The e-auctioning of shops is scheduled to begin from April 2 at 11am and will continue until 2pm on April 5. The authority last sold commercial units in 2009 and in 2012, after MHADA went digital, it was decided to do the same for shop space too.
However, it did not work out for various reasons, so the e-auction was delayed, said the official. The 217 houses are in the lower and middle income groups (LIG and MIG) and are mainly located in Sahakar Nagar, Chembur and Kopri Village, Powai. There are 170 LIG and 47 MIG homes being offered.
Interested homebuyers must register themselves with MHADA online and make an earnest money deposit (EMD)of Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 for LIG and MIG homes respectively. Only those with an average monthly income between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 can apply for the LIG homes and those with incomes between Rs 50,000 and Rs75,000 may apply for MIG homes.
MHADA has 201 commercial units in Mumbai and 77 in Konkan. In Mumbai, these units are at Pratiksha Nagar (Sion), New Hind Mill (Mazgaon), Vinoba Bhave Nagar (Kurla), Turbhe- Mandale (Mankhurd), Tunga (Powai), Gavanpada (Mulund), Majaswadi (Jogeshwari), Shastri Nagar (Goregaon), Charkop and Malvani (Malad).
In Konkan, the shops are at Virar (Bolinj), and Vengurla (Sindhudurg). Interested shop buyers must deposit 10 per cent of the shop value as EMD in a MHADA-preferred bank, to participate in the e-auction. The Free Press Journal had reported how the MHADA also stands to profit, as the bank it has chosen has agreed to pay Rs 1,561 to MHADA per bidder or applicant. For instance, if there are 50 bidders for a shop, then MHADA will earn Rs 78,050.